Globetrotting in the Garden

Posted on: March 5, 2009

Gardeners are looking far afield for plants, colors and ideas. Take a quick tour.

By Melanie Wanzek
CTW Features

Dramatic red punch of Dragon Wing Red Begoni Image courtesy Ball Horticultural Co.

The world is at your fingertips. Take time this year to bring global style into your home garden.

"Plants are moving faster from country to country than every before," says Nicholas Stoddan, director of new plants for Monrovia, the Azusa, Calif. nursery. "Plantsmen who used to communicate by letters now communicate by e-mail, which has really spirited their movement." Consider these ideas from around the globe:

Smaller gardens: "The trend toward minimalistic or modern gardening has been gathering pace worldwide," Stoddan says. Look for more compact plants, containers and gardens heavier on hardscape, like concrete and wood. "Plants tend to be of real architectural importance, like yuccas, agaves or cannas."

Colors of passion: "For the last few years plants have been on the pastel side," he says. "But in the last few years colors of passion worldwide have really come back." Try incorporating red or blood red plants into your garden, or use high gloss containers that now come in reds, blues, and greens.

Dark and chocolate colors: Stoddan says black and chocolate are considered cutting-edge colors in gardening around the world. Look for plants and containers in these colors. For other ideas on how to incorporate global colors into a home garden, he recommends searching the Internet and the newsstand to look at the colors of clothes, textures and paint colors on homes in other countries.

Outside-in: Stoddan is especially taken with what he calls "migrating plants," plants that flourish outside in the garden and whose flowers or foliage can be harvested, dried and used as decoration. He recommends lavenders, which grow in all types of climates. After they bloom, tie a bunch and hang it up to dry. Use the arrangements in winter displays or remove the flower buds and use them for potpourri or make fragrant sashays to scent closets and drawers.